Hi All

 

Well I have had the bike for 5 months and have completed just over 3,500 miles on it so far. Overall this is a fantastic bike and I have no complaints about it. Things that could be improved are the pedels which were very slippery in the wet the grips which were very plasticy and naff and the seat which was far too soft for distance but i guess these are down to personal taste. These were all changed easliy though. The tyres on the bike were very smooth but not very puncture resistant so have upgraded these also. The service and technical back up from Wisper is excellent and when I had a problem with the charger I had a new one within 24 hours. Daily round trip is between 30 and 45 miles depending which site I work from and the bike can cope with either on one charge although I prefer to charge it both ends. I can only thouroughly recomend the bike as it is a fantastic commuter in all weather conditions. I average 18mph on the bike which is ok considering i drag a log of gear arround with me. I have gone from 16st 5lbs down to just under 14 stone in the 5 months and a waist of 38 to 34 which has been the real benefit to me. Car has gone completely as I have no need for it. I have saved over £1600 in petrol tax insurance and servicing so bike and all accessories and servicing have almost paid for themselves.

 

This bike ticks all the boxes as far as I can tell. Its a great bike.

 

Regards

 

Richard

Thanks for the report. I don't have a Wisper, but it is always interesting to hear of other people's experiences with the various brands available.

Good to hear about its performance over the long haul. When I was deciding which bike to buy I was very attracted to a Wisper bike but its apparent unsuitability for someone of my height (6' 4") was the main factor in deciding against it. Hopefully a large frame version will be produced in the future.

Good to hear about its performance over the long haul. When I was deciding which bike to buy I was very attracted to a Wisper bike but its apparent unsuitability for someone of my height (6' 4") was the main factor in deciding against it. Hopefully a large frame version will be produced in the future.

 

 

 

I'm the same height as you & I too had similar reservations about the Wisper 905, on test drive, whilst I found it ok to ride for 30 mins or so, I felt it might be a bit uncomfortable over the weeks & months. However, the new larger framed Wisper 906 Alpino will be available from Feb 2010. I'm not sure of the exact difference in frame size compared to the standard 905 model, but I understand it to be bigger - Maybe David, or someone from Wisper could enlighten us there. I understand the 906 Alpino will also have 28" wheels which are an inch or two larger than on the 905.

 

It does look a fantastic bike & I will certainly be saving my pennies over the next few months. The bike comes in white which I initially thought might put me off a tiny bit, but having seen the photo's on another pedelecs thread (about overweight riders I believe) I think the white looks rather neat, dare I say cool?!

 

Thanks, Rustic.

Edited November 3, 200916 yr by rustic

richlarry,

 

thanks for the info,looking to buy a wisper for my self. what speed do you get out of the throttle only (on the flat) looking at your picture it looks like you dont have the de restrict button fitted.

 

 

thanks.

 

mapman

tat

 

Watch out for ther ebay stuff you could come a cropper. There are many rolex about that r fake.

 

thx

 

Bob

Large frame

 

Good to hear about its performance over the long haul. When I was deciding which bike to buy I was very attracted to a Wisper bike but its apparent unsuitability for someone of my height (6' 4") was the main factor in deciding against it. Hopefully a large frame version will be produced in the future.

 

Hi Barry

 

The Wisper 906Alpino will be available in the Spring of next year, it has a larger frame and 28" wheels. Good for up to 6'6".

 

[ATTACH]980.vB[/ATTACH]

 

All the best David

Rich Larry

 

Thanks for the great review Rich

 

We have changed the saddle and pedals now, they were a bit slippery in the wet.

 

All the best David

Jeepers, Dave! Give a girl some flippin' warning before whipping out a picture like that will ya! Only just managed to get me bib out in time before drooling all down me front!

 

Vikki.

Jeepers, Dave! Give a girl some flippin' warning before whipping out a picture like that will ya! Only just managed to get me bib out in time before drooling all down me front!

 

Vikki.

 

Yes he is a bit cool Vicky, how's Bikey 2?

 

All the best David

That white Wisper 906 Alpino is a tasty machine !!

 

Droooool

 

Throttle Only

 

richlarry,

 

thanks for the info,looking to buy a wisper for my self. what speed do you get out of the throttle only (on the flat) looking at your picture it looks like you dont have the de restrict button fitted.

 

 

thanks.

 

mapman

 

Between 15 & 17 miles per hour on Flat. It has been permanently wired so no de restrict required.

Anthony

 

Here's Anthony at 6'4" on the new 28" Wisper Alpino

 

[ATTACH]981.vB[/ATTACH]

 

All the best David

Hello ! Does the Wisper 906 Alpino offer a crank torque sensing feature ? (force applied by rider on pedals) ... Or is it the more common Pedal Assist Sensor ? (cadence / rotation speed)

Thank you. Dan

Edited November 4, 200916 yr by daniel.weck

Personally i find the black battery a bit loud in an otherwise not obvious electric bike,i think white would look better,also the brown saddle just looks very out of place and also looks uncomfortable, maybe a black or even white comfortable sprung saddle would look better.

Hello ! Does the Wisper 906 Alpino offer a crank torque sensing feature ? (force applied by rider on pedals) ... Or is it the more common Pedal Assist Sensor ? (cadence / rotation speed)

Thank you. Dan

 

I don't know if is equipped with one, but David Miall of Wisper did try the torque sensor on his bike equipped with the Dapush motor but didn't like it personally. I'm also not a fan of torque sensors with hub motors in general, there just isn't the intimate relationship in the responses that happen with a Panasonic type chain drive system.

.

I see, thanks Flecc !

 

Couldn't it be said for cadence-sensing as well though ?

Edited November 5, 200916 yr by daniel.weck

wisper 1500 mile review

 

Hi

 

I posted a 1500 mile review over a week ago on the review thread but as yet nothing has appeared. is this waiting for approval or has it disappeare into the ether?

 

would be grateful if this could be looked into

 

best wishes

 

Tony

1500 mile reveiw

 

Hi

 

I posted a 1500 mile review over a week ago on the review thread but as yet nothing has appeared. is this waiting for approval or has it disappeare into the ether?

 

would be grateful if this could be looked into

 

best wishes

 

Tony

 

Hi Tony

 

I have just looked at all your posts and couldn't find a 1500 review there, are you using the thread starter?

 

All the best David

Torque

 

Flecc is correct we really want to keep the Wisper bike feel as pure as possible, also the use of the cadence sensor instead of the torque helps with efficiency and maintenance. The ride feels more like a normal pedal cycle.

 

I agree that the torque sensor is easy to use when you first try a bike and nice and "gadgety" but when you get used to the cadence sensor / throttle operation it is in my opinion a lot more sensitive and easier to adjust to a riders needs.

 

All that said we understand that some people like the feel of the torque sensor so we are working on our own that will feel a lot more solid than the ones on offer at the moment. We may introduce it on some city bikes next year but I am still not convinced.

 

All the best David

Loud

 

Personally i find the black battery a bit loud in an otherwise not obvious electric bike,i think white would look better,also the brown saddle just looks very out of place and also looks uncomfortable, maybe a black or even white comfortable sprung saddle would look better.

 

Thanks for your comments Paul.

 

I agree the battery may look better white but after having looked at photoshop versions we are staying with the black case. The introduction of a white battery would also necessitate increased stock holding for all our dealers in a product with a shelf life. By keeping black batteries only we speed up the turnover of all batteries making sure our customers always get the newest cells available.

 

There is also an argument that the mat black battery case helps to keep the cells warm and efficient as the surface absorbs heat faster than white.

 

Regarding the saddle and colour, I agree the saddle does not look very comfortable but I am assured that for male cyclists its a good one. Saddles are a very personal choice and with the introduction of a new shape our dealers can swap them about to suit the customer's wants. I thought brown looked quite snazzy!!

 

All the best David

Has anyone thought of experimenting with a small thermostaticaly controlled heating circuit within the battery case, to negate the effects of winter battery syndrome? I'm aware the downside would be an additional drain on the battery itself, so it may not be viable, I just wondered if any research had been done in this area.

I think it is a rather handsome machine.

 

I had wondered if the black battery in the white frame was a deliberate design decision to emphasise the ‘big battery’ approach adopted by Wisper. Having said this, I think Paul’s comment is an interesting one.

 

Perhaps Wisper might consider offering a small battery option, with the top of the battery curved to be flush with the frame?

 

This would be less visually intrusive and make it look less like an electric bike. It would arguably be more consistent with the sporty look of the machine. (I’m all for sporty-looking saddles, by the way!)

 

Before a smaller battery is immediately rejected on grounds of efficiency, durability and range, I think there are some extra benefits besides the aesthetic.

 

It would be lighter – not much on the top of the overall machine, but better nonetheless.

 

More importantly, it would be cheaper, perhaps much so. I don’t know how cheap proportionately it could be, but it would be several hundred pounds less than the presently offered one.

 

I have vague recollection that David said that the present smaller battery did not sell particularly well. If so, that is indeed evidence against the smaller battery option, but not necessarily a knockout. It may be that the price difference between the batteries is not big enough and the current smaller battery is still visually intrusive. Also, the proposed smaller battery would add value by looking better.

 

Two or three hundred pounds off the price of an expensive new bike may not be decisive to a sale, but it may be useful. However, the biggest benefit would be to cheaper models and to the second hand market. The prospect of having to buy a £500ish battery must be pretty daunting at this stage. Whatever, the value for money arguments for a big battery, these might not overrule the deterrent effect of a large outlay.

 

A further use for the cheaper/smaller/lighter battery might be as an extra one for owners who want to carry a spare.

 

Or to change the appearance of the bike, which is where this suggestion originated.

Edited November 5, 200916 yr by AndyOfTheSouth

Has anyone thought of experimenting with a small thermostaticaly controlled heating circuit within the battery case, to negate the effects of winter battery syndrome? I'm aware the downside would be an additional drain on the battery itself, so it may not be viable, I just wondered if any research had been done in this area.

I didn't notice much performance loss last winter even in sub zero temperatures, probably no more loss than it would take to power a heating system anyway.

Well, this is what I was wondering - just a thought, as I noticed the thread about the panasonic batteries suffering in the cold, though probably not by enough to make such a thing worth bothering with, and I've yet to see any Siberian e-bikers posting here .